The Bluffton Police Department is closing its investigation of an unauthorized H.E. McCracken Middle School bank account, finding the account belonged to the school’s PTO and didn’t break the law.

The account was transferred to office manager Denise Gibbo when the PTO mother charged with overseeing the account left the organization, said Lt. Joe Babkiewicz, who cleared Gibbo after she provided account information and other school employees provided statements saying the account was used to reimburse student council and for other expenses.

The Beaufort County School District discovered the account just before Thanksgiving break during a review of undisclosed “personnel matters,” and a school staffer on Nov. 27 turned over a bank statement in the school’s name but addressed to a home later found to be Gibbo’s, said spokesman Jim Foster. The police initially reported the statement ended up on guidance counselor Annette Ballard’s desk, but district officials later said Sonia Merrick, an English teacher, brought the information forward. Foster said Barrow first received misinformation, but he couldn’t explain how.

Gibbo has been on paid leave since around the time of Principal Philip Shaw’s unexplained absence, which started Nov. 8. District officials have refused to give a reason for the leave or the review, which will continue indefinitely, Foster said.

“We were unable to answer some basic questions about this checking account, and hopefully now we’ll be able to get those answers and move forward with our review,” he said.

School leaders and bookkeepers at each school have access to an account for student activities and emergencies, both of which are reviewed at the district level. At this point the district can’t say whether it will take disciplinary action over the account, Foster said.

The account was addressed to PTO parent Theresa Covert from August 2009 to May 2011, according to the police report. Although the bank indicated the account started in 1999, the department doesn’t know by whom, Babkiewicz said, adding he decided not to seek a subpoena that would’ve forced S.C. Bank and Trust to give up everything because Gibbo came forward with documentation.

Shaw told the district he didn’t know anything about the account, according to an initial complaint filed Friday, but statements from school employees appear to contradict this claim. Bookkeeper Albertha Williams reported the existence of the account to Shaw and Gibbo, but “they did not seem to be interested,” according to the report. Sonia Merrick, an English teacher, wrote in her statement that Shaw instructed her to hand over money to Gibbo for deposit in the PTO account and that Gibbo would handle requests for withdrawals from the account.

Foster again declined comment on disciplinary implications.

“We’re going to take the material that was gathered, make that a part of our review, and move forward with it,” Foster said.

The school district turned over its investigation to the department Friday after finding itself at an impasse because the bank wouldn’t provide details about the account’s activity or holder without a court order.

Chris Barrow, the district’s protective services coordinator, was conducting the review that turned up the account. Barrow, who filed the report with the police, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Shaw continues collecting his $93,744 salary while Assistant Principal Joseph Warfield leads the school. The district previously indicated to parents that his absence would end before the Thanksgiving holiday but now say he’ll remain on leave.

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